Diana Kattowitz
Encyclopedia
SC Diana Kattowitz was an ethnically German association football club
playing in what was Kattowitz, Upper Silesia
in Germany (now Katowice
, Poland
) during the inter-war period. Established 13 February 1905, it was one of a small number of clubs that made up the Kattowitzer Ballspiel-Verband alongside Preussen Kattowitz and Germania Kattowitz
. With FC 1903 Ratibor
, these clubs formed the Upper Silesian division (Bezirk Oberschlesien) of the Southeast German Football Federation in 1906.
and had a membership of about 50, mostly students and employees of the Kattowitzer Bahndirektion (en:Kattowitz Railways Directorate). The team took part in qualification play for the German national championship in 1912 following their capture of the Upper Silesian title, but were eliminated early on by Germania Breslau
. Their title was enabled through a merger with Borussia Myslowitz in 1911, as both clubs were struggling at the time. A side made up of seven Diana and four Borussia footballers playing as Diana was fielded.
Football competition ground to a halt in the region due to World War I. After the conflict, a Polish republic was re-established, and Upper Silesia was the subject of a territorial dispute between Germany and Poland. In 1921, a League of Nations
plebiscite granted part of the region – including Kattowitz – to Poland. Borussia and Diana had re-emerged as separate sides in 1919 with Diana Kattowitz becoming part of lower tier Polish football competition as Klub Sportowy Diana Katowice in 1922. Following the invasion of Poland
by the Nazis in 1939, the club was displaced by the formation of VfB Kattowitz, which was active until 1944 when it disappeared as the area was restored to Polish control.
Football in Germany
Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...
playing in what was Kattowitz, Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
in Germany (now Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) during the inter-war period. Established 13 February 1905, it was one of a small number of clubs that made up the Kattowitzer Ballspiel-Verband alongside Preussen Kattowitz and Germania Kattowitz
Germania Kattowitz
Germania Kattowitz was an ethnically German association football club playing in what was Kattowitz, Upper Silesia in Germany before the First World War and shortly afterwards. It was one of a small number of clubs that made up the Kattowitzer Ballspiel-Verband alongside Preussen Kattowitz and...
. With FC 1903 Ratibor
SV Ratibor 03
SV Ratibor was a German association football club from the city of Ratibor, Upper Silesia . It was the first football club established in Upper Silesia and remained active until 1945....
, these clubs formed the Upper Silesian division (Bezirk Oberschlesien) of the Southeast German Football Federation in 1906.
History
Diana was named by founding president Ernst Tschoche in honour of the Roman goddess of huntingDiana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
and had a membership of about 50, mostly students and employees of the Kattowitzer Bahndirektion (en:Kattowitz Railways Directorate). The team took part in qualification play for the German national championship in 1912 following their capture of the Upper Silesian title, but were eliminated early on by Germania Breslau
Germania Breslau
SC Germania Breslau was a German association football club from the city of Breslau, Lower Silesia . The team spent several seasons in upper tier regional play in the Südostdeutscher Fußball-Verband and advanced to the league playoffs in 1911 and 1912.In both appearances Germania advanced to the...
. Their title was enabled through a merger with Borussia Myslowitz in 1911, as both clubs were struggling at the time. A side made up of seven Diana and four Borussia footballers playing as Diana was fielded.
Football competition ground to a halt in the region due to World War I. After the conflict, a Polish republic was re-established, and Upper Silesia was the subject of a territorial dispute between Germany and Poland. In 1921, a League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
plebiscite granted part of the region – including Kattowitz – to Poland. Borussia and Diana had re-emerged as separate sides in 1919 with Diana Kattowitz becoming part of lower tier Polish football competition as Klub Sportowy Diana Katowice in 1922. Following the invasion of Poland
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by the Nazis in 1939, the club was displaced by the formation of VfB Kattowitz, which was active until 1944 when it disappeared as the area was restored to Polish control.